Chettinad Chicken
India & You
Sep-Oct 2015
A classic Indian recipe from the Chettinad region, the Chettinad chicken curry is an easy to prepare and mouth-watering delicacy that leaves you fresh with its flavour.
Ingredients for the Chettinad chicken
Located in the Sivaganga district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the Chettinad region comprises of two principal towns of Karaikudi and Devakottai and 75 villages that is home to the ‘Chettiars’, a mercantile community engaged in maritime trade with South and Southeast Asia for centuries. While the region’s local architecture consequently took the form of palatial mansions and the temples were embellished with decorations imported from Europe, the South Asia influenced the gastronomy. While the cuisine has been serving the people of South India with delicious food, Smokey Chettinad became the first restaurant to bring this gastronomy delight mercifully to Delhi’s plate. Though there are more than a hundred lip-smacking Chettinad cuisines, the chicken curry definitely tops the popularity list. Here is their recipe of the Chettinad chicken curry.
Recipe for Chettinad Chicken Curry for ten people
INGREDIENTS
Cinnamon : 1 ½ Inches
Cloves : 1 tea spoon
Kalpasi orn sea moss : 5 gram
Poppy seeds : 2 ½ TSP
Cumin : 2 ½ TSP
Fennel : 2 ½ TSP
Pepper Corn : 2 TSP
Coconut : ½ nut
Curry leaves : 20 gram
Onions : 400 grams
Tomatoes : 400 grams
Ginger paste : 1 ½ TSP
Garlic paste : 2 TSP
Chilli Powder : ¾ TSP
Salt : To taste
Coriander powder : 1 ½ TSP
Turmeric powder : ¾ TSP
Chicken : 1 ½ Kg to 1¾ Kg
COOKING METHODOLOGY:
1. Roast all the ingredients – Cinnamon, Cloves, Kalpasi or sea moss, Poppy seeds, Cumin, Fennel, Pepper Corn, grated coconut and Curry leaves – in two and a half tea spoons of oil for ten minutes.
2. Add chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger paste and garlic paste to the roast and cook for five to seven minutes.
3. Add 50 to 75 ml water to it and cook with lid on for 20-25 minutes on a medium flame. Leave it to cool.
4. Grind the mixture into fine paste. Fill the paste in a cooker and add water till it turns into thick gravy.
5. Add chicken and pressure cook till about two whistles.
Spicy, but not oily, your delicious Chettinad Chicken Curry is ready to be served. Easy to cook and great to eat, this Southern delicacy is a culinary experience that wafts your home with a spicy aroma. Bon appétit!
